High Voltage, Low Cost, Low Distortion A Size Sunobouy Power Amplifier

Future quieter, faster vessels operated by our enemies have required the Navy’s desire and investment in next-generation, upgraded version of AN/SSQ-125 sonobuoys to support anti-submarine warfare (ASW). One of the key enabling components of such an upgrade is the power amplifier, which requires modernization to meet the Navy’s future mission needs. Amplifier design upgrades are required to support a wide range of input voltages, high bandwidth, high-power, low distortion and lower volume than the legacy power amplifier.  These capabilities are required to maintain flexibility and compatibility with evolving battery and transducer technology developments. The amplifier must be capable of 1100 Vrms at ~117 Vdc battery input voltage.  To address this need, Kaney proposes a very low distortion Class D power amplification with high efficiency, high power density wide-bandgap semiconductors to meet the power density requirements of this application.  Microprocessor-based distortion reduction algorithms and output filtering will be used to meet distortion requirements.  Such algorithms will compensate for amplifier distortion by injecting “anti-noise” into the command signal prior to driving output MOSFETs.  This is expected to result in lower cost amplifiers, capable of being packaged in smaller volumes (35 cu in or lower) while enabling required output passive filtering.